Don't delay; check out exchange

Tuesday

May 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM

May I make a humble suggestion? It's based on a few of the inquiries I've received. If you're uninsured, barely insured with a high-deductible health plan or operate a small business, it behooves you to get familiar with the Covered California website (coveredca.com) now.

Joe Goldeen

May I make a humble suggestion? It's based on a few of the inquiries I've received. If you're uninsured, barely insured with a high-deductible health plan or operate a small business, it behooves you to get familiar with the Covered California website (coveredca.com) now.

The site does its best to provide a guide on what to expect when the Affordable Care Act's largest expansion of coverage goes into effect Jan. 1.

Enrollment opens up Oct. 1 and will continue for the next six months.

Those going into the enrollment period with the most knowledge and best idea of what coverage they need and can afford will be able to get into and out of the exchange fairly simply.

And while there is no one officially available to answer questions today, that will change soon as the state and community organizations gear up to hire and train assisters (see below).

Once on the site, look for a comparison chart that lays out the key benefits of the four standard categories dubbed the Metal plans - Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. You'll pay progressively more for each plan, but you'll receive more benefits, too.

An individual purchasing a Bronze plan would pay no more than $6,400 a year out of pocket for medical care, while an individual covered by a Platinum plan would pay no more than $4,000 out of pocket. For a family of four, the maximum out-of-pocket expense annually would be $12,800 under the Bronze plan and $8,000 under the Platinum plan.

The private carriers such as Blue Shield, Kaiser, Anthem Blue Cross, Health Net and others are developing products to meet the standards of the Metal plans that must include the same list of Essential Health Benefits.

Many of those insurers discuss on their websites what actions they have taken already to comply with the Affordable Care Act.

Stockton-based El Concilio (Council for the Spanish Speaking) and the University of California, Davis, Center for Health Disparities will be the recipients of a $1 million grant from Covered California following a highly competitive process that attracted about 200 applicants to provide outreach and education within their respective communities about the Affordable Care Act.

The grant was one of 48 for a total of $37 million that Covered California will be awarding to organizations throughout the state to help with the assister program.

El Concilio will conduct outreach and education efforts in San Joaquin County, while the UC Davis Center will focus on Sacramento County.

"We look forward to educating the residents of San Joaquin County on the Affordable Care Act to ensure that California's diverse population will have fair and equal access to quality health care coverage," El Concilio President Jose Rodriguez said.